When can the exchange of contracts occur in purchase conveyancing in South West London and am I required to be at the lawyers office?

If you are near to one of the conveyancing solicitors in South West London you are welcome to come in to sign the paperwork. However, the firms we work with supply a national conveyancing service and provide just as detailed and professional a job for you when dealing with you digitally. The signing of the sale agreement is not the point of no return. A signed contract is just a prerequisite for the solicitor to address the formalities at the suitable time, which will usually be very shortly after signing. The exchange process is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where a long "chain" is in play, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in South West London)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.

Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Santander. South West London conveyancing practitioners were selected. How long does it take for Santander to send the offer to the lawyer?

Some lenders take longer than others. Have Santander done the valuation? Have you advised Santander as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Santander conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.

I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in South West London off the council. I have a mortgage offer with Nationwide. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Nationwide, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Nationwide conveyancing panel.

I have a mortgage with HSBC for my property in South West London. Conveyancing has been completed months ago. In the event that I decide to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform HSBC?

HSBC must be informed of your intention prior to renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of HSBC’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact HSBC directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a HSBC conveyancing panel lawyer.

About to purchase a new build apartment in South West London. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build legal work.

Here is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in South West London

Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents. Please supply a car parking plan. Where service of notices and proceedings can be at the property demised please confirm that this can be amended to include simultaneous services at the Lessees’ solicitors’ offices where the Lessee from time to time is not resident in the UK - such solicitors may be varied by notice in writing to the Landlord from time to time but otherwise will be as previously specified.

I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and found one near me in South West London I like with a park and railway links in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 51 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in South West London in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?

Should you need a home loan the shortness of the lease may be an issue. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you may request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer about this matter.

To what extent are South West London conveyancing solicitors duty bound by the Law Society to publish clear conveyancing figures?

Contained within the Solicitors Code of Conduct are prescriptive rules and regulations as to how the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) allow solicitors to publicise their fees to clients.The Law Society have a practice note giving advice on how to publicise transparent charges to avoid breaching any such rule. Practice notes are not legal advice issued by the Law Society and is not intended as the only standard of good practice a conveyancing solicitor should adhere to. The Practice Note does, however, represent the Law Society’s perspective of acceptable practice for publicising conveyancing charges, and accordingly it’s a recommended read for any solicitor or conveyancer in South West London or beyond.